The Path She Chose
by The One Who Holds On
Summary: Chloe finds her way through whatever she needs to. She has just enough attitude to not need to rely on anyone but herself, until she meets one man. Can Bruce Wayne change all that?


Chloe stood in the middle of the empty bull pen at the Daily Planet, picturing the craziness that occurred there every day. Was it really only last week she had been here with Lois, listening to her cousin rave about how useless Clark was as a reporter without her insight and guidance? So much had changed in a week. She had changed. It's amazing what can happen when you survive a near apocalypse. She had lost so much in the past few weeks. She had lost Jimmy. More than just losing Jimmy, she felt as though a piece of her had been ripped away when he was cruelly snatched from her.

Clark hadn't even had a good excuse to leave her like Jimmy did. She understood that having the weight of the world on your shoulders was a tough burden to bear, but that didn't mean you should leave your friends behind. There were other heroes like Clark, friends like Chloe, willing to help him carry the weight, but Clark insisted on pushing them away. _Protecting them_.

Chloe scoffed. Clark always had had the ridiculous notion that if he depended on anyone else they would be hurt, and he would have no one to blame but himself. Well, maybe there was a bit of truth in that, but that didn't mean Chloe had to accept it. No, this was all Clark being ridiculous and noble and overprotective, and no she wasn't a hypocrite for what she did with Davis. She did that because she saw no other option that would keep those she loved safe and no, it's not the same thing. It's not!

But Clark Kent was "dead" and she'd probably never see him again. It was different from all the other times she thought he was gone. She didn't think he was coming back from this one. Her ever present support system had left her on her own, and she wasn't sure if she could deal with it. But she'd make it through, she was Chloe after all. And if nothing else, Chloe was a fighter. She would pull through this.

She was going to take that vacation all her friends and family, Lois especially, kept hinting she needed to take, and when she was back, she was going to kick more ass than ever before. She was going to save the world on her own if she had to, she knew it. She of all people could find a way to be her own hero.

So going to Gotham of all cities as a way to get inspiration or a reason to keep fighting might not have been the best of ideas, but hey, at least she was doing something. Though being tied to a chair in a hostage situation probably wasn't the best of circumstances, it could be worse. She could be falling off the side of a building, or being hunted by a meteor infected, she could be dead, or – okay, she needed to stop thinking like that now because it wasn't cheering her up at all.

Not that the chair she was stuck to was helping either, but hey. She had to start somewhere, and to be perfectly honest, this was her average week anyway. Her high school years had been even worse. She had been constantly hunted or chased or drugged, and so much more for years, that being a hostage wasn't much different. Figures that she would escape her crazy life and town only to relocate in a town just as crazy as the one she had left behind.

Gotham even had its own little vigilante from what she had heard. Not that she had met Batman yet, but that was fine with her. She was on a break from working with heroes, and had no plans to go out of her way to meet him. Unfortunately, it seemed fate really hated her. That didn't exactly come as a surprise looking at her past, but still. Didn't that give her the right to have a break? Just one?

Batman in the flesh fell from the ceiling in front of her, landing on the guard watching her. He whipped out a batarang and sliced through the ropes binding her in one smooth motion. "Well…thanks. I'm just going to go get my evidence against the Scarecrow now then...Bye." Chloe strode confidently toward her bag that had been emptied out on the table. She tore the flash drive out of the hidden lining in her bag and walked in a direction she hoped led to an exit. She'd seen the Scarecrow himself head that direction, so she was hoping it was the way out.

"Wait." Chloe shivered involuntarily. His voice was gravelish and low. Chloe could understand how he inspired fear is some of the renowned criminals and absolute terror in common ones. She turned towards him with one eyebrow raised and a hand on her hip. "Yeah? Did you need help with something then?" She smirked. "Did you need someone to hold your hand as you try to capture the Scarecrow? Or just someone to do it for you?"

Chloe's mind screamed at her to shut up. It was such a bad idea to provoke someone like Batman. She should stop being her usual snarky self and maybe even shut up completely. Chloe winced, waiting for his retort, but when nothing came she looked up slowly. He was smirking back at her, and he looked positively dark and dangerous. She refused to step back like her instincts were demanding she do and held her ground. "I was going to ask if you needed the cure to the Scarecrow's drug, but something tells me you don't. Try not to get captured again." With that he pulled out some sort of grappling gun, fired it, and swept away.

Well. It wasn't as if she didn't know the hero types, but that had truly shocked her. Normally when she had said something like that, Oliver would glare at her, or Clark would tell her to focus more on her own safety. She really hadn't expected him to verbally spar with her, so she was pleasantly surprised.

Chloe's smile morphed into a frown though as she recalled what he had said to her. Geez! It wasn't as if she was trying to get captured. She had decided something seemed up with the Scarecrow, and after going through some of the police files she had hacked into she'd confirmed it. The police clearly didn't know what to make of him, or the Batman for that matter, so Chloe thought it was time to do what she did best: investigate.

Leave it to Chloe to be on a vacation only to see a news story that had her dashing towards her laptop to do research. Did he seriously think she was going to go tracking down someone madman like the Scarecrow without getting a sample of his drug and making a counter drug? Who did he take her for? Besides, sneaking into that warehouse had been fine except for that guy behind her.

Though Chloe had to admit, holding her hostage so the police would be less willing to interfere with their crimes, for a short time at least, was an ingenious plan. She could see the logic in it. That didn't however, mean she appreciated being captured, tied to a chair, and forced to listen to the yammering of the Scarecrow after he thought she had been infected. He had no idea when to just shut up. Chloe also recognized that the only reason she had survived the ordeal was because of the Scarecrow's cockiness. He had believed that no one could counteract his drug. She might not be so lucky next time.

She knew she should be more concerned by the fact that she shouldn't be alive, but Chloe couldn't bring herself to care. She had survived more life or death situations more times than she could count and had always made it out. Her vacation, while far from relaxing, had been what she needed to get back on her feet. She knew who she was, what her purpose was. She was returning to Smallville, but she was far from done. She knew what the world needed, and nothing would be able to stop her from getting it done.


End file.
